Research themes

India as a global innovation hub

How and why the world's largest multinationals are increasingly locating their global R&D and innovation activities in India (and other countries like it). This theme addresses questions such as:

What specific innovation projects do MNCs actually conduct in India? How have they structured their R&D operations in India?

How should multinationals reorganise themselves to effectively leverage innovations from emerging markets for global success?

How should multinationals practice open Innovation in the Indian context (i.e. plug into the local ecosystems of start-ups, universities, VCs, research labs...)

India's relationship with China (strengths and weaknesses as an R&D hub)

Indian firms going global

How Indian firms (relative to firms from other emerging markets) are going global and moving up the value chain. This theme addresses questions such as:

What's the global trajectory of large Indian firms (i.e., listed on Bombay Stock Exchange)? How effectively do they manage it?

"Born Globals": how do start-ups in Bangalore and other tech hotspots in India manage their globalisation (relative to firms in other clusters like Silicon Valley and Cambridge)?

Co-innovation with the bottom of the pyramid (mass markets)

How firms and other organisations are engaging those who live on less than $5 a day as value-adding partners through innovative products, services and business models. This theme addresses questions such as:

What is the BOP market? How large is it in India? (myths and realities)

What capabilities must firms develop to effectively operate in BOP markets?

What are the business models used by firms to leverage value in BOP markets?

How should firms partner with social entrepreneurs to scale up BOP innovations?

How can firms effectively convert their CSR projects into for-profit initiatives?

How can innovations in BOP markets be shared with other markets/countries?